The Odds
by lumifan99
Summary: In Med School Lexie Grey learned about the odds. Survival rates. Yet her mom was dead. From the hiccups. Lexie's story of the events before and after Susan Grey's death. One shot. Strong T rating.


I'm not sure how I came up with this idea...It's just an one shot about Lexie's life during the events of before and after Susan's death.

**The Odds**

Lexie Grey had gotten the first phone call on a Tuesday morning. "She cannot stop hiccupping." Her father told her over the phone.

Her nose wrinkled in confusion, "What are you talking about Dad?"

"Your Mom…She has had the hiccups since last night." Thatcher told her. "We are both start to get concerned…" His father's voice cracked slightly, "You're the doctor in the family…Should we be worried?"

She was only a week away from starting her internship at Mass Gen and though she liked to think she knew a lot about the surgical field, but she knew she had a lot to learn, "The hiccups…" She repeated. "Is there anything else going on with her?"

"No. It's just the hiccups."

Lexie closed her eyes, trying to think anything she ever read about excessive hiccups. "It could be acid reflex…You should probably bring her to the clinic, just to be safe."

"Okay sweet heart. I'm going to take her in right away." He paused, "I love you Lexie."

"I love you to Dad. Tell Mom I love her to."

* * *

A few hours later her cell phone rang again. "Hey Dad. How's Mom doing?" She asked after flipping her phone open.

"She's in surgery right now."

Lexie sat up from her lying position. "She's in surgery? For the hiccups?"

"Yeah…She's getting a…" He paused trying to think of the name, "An endoscopic gastroplication?"

Lexie paused for a moment. "I remember reading about that in the British Medical Journal. From what I read it is fairly routine...She'll be fine."

"I know. She is in good hands."

"Can you have Mom call me after her surgery, you know after she is feeling better?"

"Of course." Thatcher smiled over the phone, "I miss you Green Bean."

Lexie smiled, "You have not called me that in years…And I miss you to Dad."

"Are you sure you don't want to do you internship in Seattle? You have three hospitals to choose from…" He paused. "If you come here you could try to get to know Meredith." Another pause, "You two should have a lot of common. You are both doctors."

"Dad. I like Boston."

* * *

At 6 P.M. her cell phone rang again, she smiled when she saw the name on the caller ID. "Hi Mom."

Lexie closed her eyes, imagining Susan's smile on the other side of the phone, "Hi Sweetie."

"How are you feeling? How did the surgery go?"

"I'm doing okay. Dr. Bailey and Meredith have detected a small heart murmur…"

"A heart murmur?" Now she was getting _really_ worried.

Susan laughed, "You are too much like your Dad Lexie. I'm fine. I have a bit of a bacterial endocarditis. They have me on I.V. Antibiotics."

"Mom…"

"I'm fine Sweetie." Susan quickly insisted. "Dr. Bailey and Meredith think it will clear the infection right up." She paused, "Don't worry. I'm in good hands."

Lexie took in a deep breath, "Okay…You are right."

"Of course I am. I'm always right. Ask your father. He'll tell you."

Lexie laughed. "I love you Mom."

"I love you to Sweetie."

* * *

It was at 9:30 when she got the last phone call. She laughed softly as she answered the phone. "Did Mom finally get you to leave the hospital?"

"Alexandra…"

Lexie felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. She had never heard his voice sound like that. It was…Sad. Broken. Defeated. "Daddy…?"

"Mom's dead." He choked. She could hear him crying.

"Wha…" Lexie was in too much shock to cry. "But…But…But…" She stuttered. "But she had the hiccups. How can you die from the hiccups?"

"Went to septic shock. She died during surgery." There was a long pause, Thatcher was nearly sobbing. "You need to come home Lexie."

"I'll be on the next flight." As the news started to sink in she struggled to blink away tears. "I…I…I have…I have to call go…I'll call you back."

"Oh God." She set the phone next to her on her bed. "Oh God." Her hands covered her mouth as she began to sob.

"Oh God."

* * *

She did not understand.

During Med School she learned about the odds. Survival rates.

Her Mom had the hiccups. The survival rate should have 100%.

Yet her Mom was dead.

From the fucking hiccups.

* * *

As promised she was on the first flight out. Her eyes were red and puffy. Her cheeks were tear stained.

And she wanted to throw up.

Tears felt silently as she starred out the airplane's window.

She was grateful that the older man sitting next to her or the annoyingly perky fly attendant didn't ask her why.

* * *

Lexie sat quietly at the kitchen table as she flipped through her mother's photo albums, struggling to find pictures for a collage that would be displayed at the funeral.

She had started making the funeral arraignments since the moment she got home. Thatcher was too distressed to be able to make any of the plans. And Molly was too busy comforting their father and taking care of Laura.

She started to cry again when she came across the last picture she had ever taken with her mother. It was from nearly a month earlier, at her college graduation. Molly was unable to come because of the baby, so it had just been Thatcher and Susan.

Lexie was still wearing her cap and gown, her parents on either side of her, all had beaming smiles on their faces.

"Do you need any help?"

Lexie quickly wiped away her tears, "I'm almost done Mol."

"I'm sorry I haven't really been helping out…" Molly sat down on the chair next to Lexie, "I just…" She trailed off, swallowing a lump in her throat. "She died of the hiccups."

Lexie pulled her sister into a hug, "I know."

Molly slowly pulled away; she gave Lexie a small smile when she looked down at Lexie's graduation picture. "Mom was so proud of you."

"You think so?" She blinked away tears.

"Come on Lex. Mom was crazy proud of you. You're going to be a doctor. And you graduated top of your class from Harvard. She was always bragging to her friends about you." She paused, "I was thinking…Maybe you should stay here…And not do your internship at Mass Gen…I mean…"

"I already called the board at Seattle Grace. They'll be happy to have me." She brushed some hair behind her ear. "I start in two weeks. So after the funeral, I'm going to pack up my stuff, and come back home."

She nodded, "That's good…I really think Dad needs someone right now. He shouldn't be alone right now."

Lexie turned her attention back to selecting pictures, "I know."

* * *

The funeral took place two days later. Thatcher was there, but barely present. Molly was either crying or fussing over the baby, and Lexie stood silently near her mother's coffin. She couldn't remember the last time she received so many hugs from friends of the family. Thatcher and Susan were only children so there was no family left.

"Lex." Lexie looked up to see Kevin Logan, her ex boyfriend, who she dated from her senior year in high school until the middle of her freshman year of college. Though they were broken up they would still 'hook up' every now and then.

"Hi Kev." He pulled her into a hug, "Thank you for coming."

"I could not believe it when I heard about your Mom…I'm so sorry Lexie…"

Lexie gladly sank in to the hug. "I cannot believe she's gone…"

"I know…" He rubbed her back, in attempt to comfort her. "If you need anything, and I mean anything. Just let me know."

* * *

That night and still in the black dress she wore to her mother's funeral, Lexie decided she needed to get out of the house. After the funeral Thatcher started drown his sorrows in a bottle of booze. Molly was with him, so she didn't feel _too_ guilty for leaving him.

She wondered into a bar, near Seattle Grace Hospital, and ordered a drink. As she drank a hansom's man smile caught her eye. She smiled back. It was unlike her, but she followed him to the bar. She to do something (someone) to forget the pain she felt that day. She leaned against the bar, next to where he was sitting. She could feel her heat beating out of her chest, "Hi."

The man with ridiculously amazing hair studied her for a moment, before saying "Hi." Back.

"Can I buy a drink?" Lexie asked.

"Woah…" He said, "You are forward."

"Bad day." She smiled instead of cried, "I get to be forward to day."

He nodded, "Yeah. Me to."

"So what do you say? One drink?"

"I'm with some friends…" He paused. "So I'm going to say no."

She nodded as her voice began to crack, "That's too bad…"

"Yeah…"

* * *

She surprised herself when she showed up at his apartment.

He was to when he opened the door. "Lexie."

She said nothing as she wrapped her arms around Kevin and pulled him into a kiss.

"Lexie…Wait." He pulled away. "Are…Are you sure?"

"Yes. Of course" She kissed him again.

"I don't…" He pulled away again, "Want to take advantage."

"Kevin!" She snapped. "Just shut the hell up and fuck me…Please. Just fuck me…"

He nodded, "Okay." This time he pulled her into a kiss. As they made their way to his bedroom the kisses were fast, sloppy, and impassionate.

* * *

She was thankful when the mediocre sex was over he didn't say anything when she turned away from him and cried.

* * *

The next morning she got dressed and left before he woke up.

* * *

Two days later she was back in Boston.

She took the next three days to pack up all her things, say goodbye to her friends, and rent a U Haul.

* * *

The night after Lexie drove home she found her father drunk, mumbling something about her mother.

As she put the photographs she used for the collage back their albums she stopped at a picture of her mother and her cat.

Susan _loved_ that cat. Boots was his name. The cat had been all black, except for his four white paws. He had died two years earlier and Susan was devastated. The cat had been buried in the back yard, at the end of the garden.

Lexie swallowed the lump in her throat as she put the picture back in its rightful place.

* * *

She grabbed a shovel from the garage before going outside. She knew right where to dig. Boots was buried near the lilac tree.

She took a deep breath as she entered the pitch black cemetery with a flash light and shovel in one hand and the box they buried Boots in the other hand.

She knew how crazy this had to be.

But she knew this is what her mother would want.

The gravestone was not up yet, but the dirt was still fresh so it was easy to dig.

After digging a hole that was about two feet deep she placed Boots' cardboard coffin inside. Sighing, and in tears, she buried the cat over her mother's grave.

"I love you Mom…"

* * *

Dressed in her light blue scrubs Lexie paused before she entered Seattle Grace Hospital. She took a moment to look up and study the large building.

She had wanted to be a doctor since she was nine. This day was the first day of her internship. She had waited for this day since being accepted at Harvard Med.

It was supposed to be a happy day.

She sighed, before making her way into the hospital.

But now…

She would give _anything_ to _not_ be there.

* * *

End


End file.
